Musings on a Life in the Theatre, Tablet PC's, Cultural Issues, (oh, and the occasional emu sighting...)

129 posts categorized "Wicked Stage Notes"

December 03, 2012

Here we go. It's Ink Blot Awards time. A time for fun, and time for some introspection, a time for passing time, and a time for looking back. I've been blogging both here and at GottaBeMobile.com for over eight years now. I began this little annual tradition on the first annivesary of this blog as a way of celebrating a community that no longer exists today. That community was a group of geeks devoted to the early Tablet PCs. Things have changed quite a bit since, but here's what I wrote on that first anniversary as some context.

I created The Life On The Wicked Stage Ink Blot Awards
as a celebration. Yes, it's a celebration of the 1 year anniversary of
this blog. But it is more than that. It is a celebration of a community
that I have come to know and admire. The Tableteers that make up the
Tablet PC Community are an amazing collection of individuals who know
and work with the Tablet PC platform. They are fiercely protective of
it, insatiably curious about advancing it, very intelligent, often
wickedly funny, at one time very forgiving and patient, and in the same
breath, scathingly critical when the need arises. They are also
exceedingly willing to evangelize the platform to anyone who will
listen, and in my humble opinion, have helped keep the spotlight on The
Tablet PC in ways that may, in the long run, prove to be responsible
for keeping the platform thriving.

Like I said, many things have changed since then. The Ink Blot Awards continue to evolve, without or without any hint of intelligent design. Those early Tablet PCs might as well be made of stone given how the technology has advanced. The media that covers Tablets (and other things as well) proves over and over again that the exciting technology we have at our current disposal doesn't mean that the stone age thinking of how we cover things goes away with new technology.

What hasn't changed and what's consistent about Tablets and mobile tech is that they offer a very personal experience. Apple gets this. Microsoft and others are trying to, but they insist on making devices while Apple creates experiences.

My attitude about politics, cultural
happenings, and other things are also changing. I've also
changed how I observe and remark about them. The convenience of Twitter, App.net, Google+ and Facebook take something away from this blog. I used to worry about that. I don't any longer.

I used to find most of what revolves around us as we make our way through this crazy life as entertaining
in a "Human Comedy" sort of way. That has stopped, largely. What used to entertain more frequently just fills me with disdain. I guess that's mostly because those that pull the levers seem to view us all with disdain and they are becoming more transparent about it. I suppose I'm losing my tolerance, but perhaps that's because these days you can't talk about things in a nuanced manner. Whether the subject be politics or the latest gadget, you're either with us or against us, whoever the us is. Why remain tolerant with intolerance? Hating is the in thing these days, though for whatever reason I can't quite figure out. The ins and outs of life begin with the foibles of humans. We can create beauty and magic. We can also screw up just about anything we touch given half a chance. It
used to be we acknowledged that,
celebrated it, and moved on, bettering ourselves in the process. We might still do some of that, but far too often I increasingly feel like we're playing a sucker's game. Granted the game is being rigged by other suckers who just don't realize that's what they are. Rats in a maze can only repeat their paths so often before they pass out and die or get too fat from finding the reward. I often wonder why we get so many chances to make the same mistakes over and over. Maybe we're just too small to see the maze.

All pretense aside, the rules for inclusion on this little list are the same as they have always been. Award winners are subject to my own whims and
fancies. Some are best in class, some are just frivilous, some deserve
the small heaping of scorn these awards might cast their way. Human
nature, no matter the field of endeavor, is ripe with that which needs
celebrating, and that which needs derision cast its way. Good friend and Tableteer, Mark “Sumocat” Sumimoto,
christened these awards with the nickname of ‘The Blotties’ in year
one, and that sorta stuck. So we'll let it keep sticking. And finally,
if you don't like the list, go make your own.

December 04, 2011

Like everything else in my life in this insane year this post is a day late and a dollar short. The seventh anniversary of this blog was yesterday, December 3. But things in my life kept me from putting the finishing touches on the post and getting it published on the big day. On some level that's unacceptable. On others it is entirely in character this year. But then, maybe we'll see that change in the new year.

Seven years. (and a day) That's how long I've been presenting the Ink Blot Awards as my way of recognizing the anniversary of this blog. It's been a fun ride. It's been full of laughs. I'm hoping this year's awards will also provide a few chuckles to folks who stop by and give them a read. Although the history is mostly ancient and perhaps bordering on the irrelevant, I think it is important to provide some of it as context. So here goes:

I created The Life On The Wicked Stage Ink Blot Awards as a celebration. Yes, it's a celebration of the 1 year anniversary of this blog. But it is more than that. It is a celebration of a community that I have come to know and admire. The Tableteers that make up the Tablet PC Community are an amazing collection of individuals who know and work with the Tablet PC platform. They are fiercely protective of it, insatiably curious about advancing it, very intelligent, often wickedly funny, at one time very forgiving and patient, and in the same breath, scathingly critical when the need arises. They are also exceedingly willing to evangelize the platform to anyone who will listen, and in my humble opinion, have helped keep the spotlight on The Tablet PC in ways that may, in the long run, prove to be responsible for keeping the platform thriving.

So much has changed in the time I started blogging that first year. It's changed with me and also that community has certainly changed. Those around me have changed as well in an eerie parallel to how things with Tablets have changed. Tablets mean different things now-a-days, although some of those who make them seem to have less penchant for success than Microsoft did.

What hasn't changed and what's consistent about Tablets is that they are still the very personal devices that they started out to be. Microsoft never recognized that. Apple did. Others tried to emulate without acknowledging the core reasons for Apple's success. And by and large they failed.

What's also changed is my attitude about politics, cultural happenings, and other things that I observe on this blog. I've also changed how I observe and remark about them. The convenience of Twitter and Google+ take something away from this blog. Sometimes I worry about that. Sometimes I don't.

I've become increasingly disenchanted with quite a few things this year. To be honest, I don't know why. I used to find it all entertaining in a "Human Comedy" sort of way. I don't find it that entertaining anymore. The ins and outs of life begin with the foibles of humans. It used to be that somewhere along the line we acknowledged that, celebrated it, and moved on, bettering ourselves in the process. While I think we still acknowledge it, and we might celebrate it, the only benefit we're deriving by moving on is to repeat the same things over and over again with an increasing frequency. I think this year's Ink Blot Awards reflect that with the number of repeats. Or they reflect my warped sense of things.

This was a year that so many things resulted in a "FAIL" that I think we have to look for a new buzz word for failure. Politics and the circus around it started performing without a tent and nobody cared that the clowns weren't funny any more. It's not that the clowns weren't funny that is maddening. It's depressing that no one cared anymore. Major tech companies became exposed for what can only be described as abhorent stratagies. New gadgets now depend on the same fickle first weekend sales that movies do. Of course if we had better gadgets being released, we'd probably see better results. Social networking became a parody of itself and all of that sharing resulted in a few shares too many or not nearly enough, depending on your perspective. Big media continued to prove that it doesn't have a clue. Little media seems to inexplicably want to follow that path as well. Oh, and Mother Nature reached up and smacked the planet around trying to get our attention. But aside from watching the compelling video and pictures we continued to just be thankful it wasn't us feeling her wrath, and sympathetic to those who did. The 99% became the Tea Party without the tea but with lots of party, because in the end the complaints are the same. For its efforts it got criticized by the 1% for being unorganized, dirty, and partying too much by the 1% that defines itself by making money and not making anything else so it can party. I think the 1% are just jealous because they feel like they have to dress up and shower in order to play their game. There's an old saying in show biz that if you put real life on the stage no one would believe it. I think if you put this last year on the stage, not only wouldn't anyone believe it, but Groupon would have a hard time selling discount tickets to it.

Last year's many repeats were due primarily to me spending the year dealing with my mother's terminal illness and ultimate passing. This year's repeats, I think, deal more with the fact that nothing has really changed. Change used to be a constant. I don't think it is as constant presently. On some levels I find that depressing, on larger levels I find that extremely human. I also find that it focuses those who are looking at life with 20/20 vision into a clearer view that someday may pull us out of the rut we're in.

Any pretense at aspirations aside, the rules for inclusion on the list are the same. Award winners are subject to my own whims and fancies. Some are best in class, some are just frivilous, some deserve the small heaping of scorn these awards might cast their way. Human nature, no matter the field of endeavor, is ripe with that which needs celebrating and that which needs derision cast its way. Good friend, Tablet PC MVP and fellow GBM contributor, Mark “Sumocat” Sumimoto, christened these awards with the nickname of ‘The Blotties’ in year one, and that sorta stuck. So we'll let it keep sticking. And finally, if you don't like the list, go make your own.

So, as always, hit the jump, cue the dancing girls, beat out a tattoo on the drums, sound the trumpets (or the theremin) and get ready for the Seventh Annual Life on the Wicked Stage Ink Blot Awards .

September 03, 2011

There are lots of clichés out there that spouses use for each other, "the better half" being one I use frequently to describe my lovely wife, Thomasin. But then I happen to believe that most phrases that become clichés do so because there is truth there. Today my wife and I celebrate our 11th Wedding Anniversary. Well, celebrating is probably not accurate. We're both swamped with work as we're working hard to raise funds to keep Wayside Theatre, which is our life, open.

We might get a few moments to acknowledge the arrival and the passage of the day somewhere along the line, but then on the other hand why should today be any different than any other day in this wacky life in the theatre that we live every day.

But back to that "better half" thing. There's real truth there. She's the one who keeps me going and by extension that allows us both to keep on target to keep the theatre operating. Lord knows I wish I had her energy and determination. Everyone here feeds off of that energy, especially me.

So, sweetheart, Happy Anniversary. It isn't as hot as it was 11 years ago on that day we got hitched. But every minute since has certainly been as much fun, if not entertaining.

December 03, 2010

Six years seems like a lifetime in Internet years. But at the same time it seems like only yesterday that I started blogging. This has been what I hope will be the last of a period of challenging years in my life on many levels. I'm not wishing for a life without challenges. Rather, I'd prefer challenges that don't seem to suck the oxygen out of the air. My mother passed away this year after a long illness. I miss her terribly. Life at Wayside Theatre continues to be a day to day struggle but in the end, even with the challenges, we're still kicking. These two things occupied much of my energy and my life.

But every now and then I'd come back here. As I've said before, I come here to share something. Sometimes as a refuge. Sometimes as a shield against whatever challenge I'm facing. I still find it amazing, especially since the quantity of content has dropped a bit, that others come here as well. In fact they are coming in increasing numbers, which is even more amazing. I'm grateful for each person who stops by and hope they get something back in return.

As always, Life on the Wicked Stage is the place I share what amuses me, bemuses me, pisses me off, or makes me smile. The coverage covers a wide range of things. Some may think too many. But life covers a range of things as well. I try to celebrate the good I find along the way and also denigrate the idiocy and hypocrisy that seems all too prevalent. To say this blog is an extension of me would be arrogant and but also true.

When this blog turned one year old I created the Annual Life on the Wicked Stage Ink Blot Awards as a form of celebration. The creation story is in this year's award post. They've shifted and changed over the years, but they are still something that gives me joy and I hope give the same to those awarded. There's enough wackiness, weirdness, and wonder in the world and I try to recognize the stuff that means something to me. If you're new here enjoy. If you're a regular I hope you enjoy as well. As always I'll revise slightly my introduction to this year's fun and games.

As we head into year seven, I hope that through some intelligently designed construct what happens here will continue to evolve as I do. In the meantime, join with me as we celebrate six years of Life on the Wicked Stage: Act 2 with the Sixth Annual Life on the Wicked Stage Ink Blot Awards.

Here we go again with another edition of the Life on the Wicked Stage Ink Blot Awards. Six years of this fun is quite a bit, but hey, it's still fun. As I’ve said each year since year two of these awards there is no better description as to why they exist, or why I created them, than what I said the first year. So, here's a bit of history.

I created The Life On The Wicked Stage Ink Blot Awards as a celebration. Yes, it's a celebration of the 1 year anniversary of this blog. But it is more than that. It is a celebration of a community that I have come to know and admire. The Tableteers that make up the Tablet PC Community are an amazing collection of individuals who know and work with the Tablet PC platform. They are fiercely protective of it, insatiably curious about advancing it, very intelligent, often wickedly funny, at one time very forgiving and patient, and in the same breath, scathingly critical when the need arises. They are also exceedingly willing to evangelize the platform to anyone who will listen, and in my humble opinion, have helped keep the spotlight on The Tablet PC in ways that may, in the long run, prove to be responsible for keeping the platform thriving.

Tablet PCs as we’ve known them from the past are basically a dinosaur, thanks largely to Microsoft. The community that loved them has headed off into different directions mostly searching for a mobile Holy Grail. Some think the iPad is that device. Some have hope for Android and what it might be. But we all step over the graves of things like UMPCs, MIDs, and maybe soon Netbooks, while we're looking for that magical mobile whatever. Such are the times, such are the trials, and such are the tales of those who loved Tablets. The majority of mobile gadget entries, including Tablets and slates still look more like odd independent films trying to find distribution. Meanwhile Apple has changed the calendar and the culture in its favor and looks to dominate for some time to come. Apple sucked the oxygen away from anyone who thought they had a chance in this year that was supposed to be "The Year of the Tablet." Turns out it was the year of Apple.

The wacky world of the web continues to be wacky. Facebook is growing so rapidly that soon it looks like it might be the web. Google throws things at the web like a bad chef tossing spaghetti at a wall to see if it is done. Microsoft is trying to make a comeback against long odds and we're all still tweeting, locating, searching, and surfing to what end who knows.

What we call politics these days continued to demean the term, if that's possible. We've finally crossed the Rubicon where the winners are the best liars regardless of the game. Lying, cheating, and stealing are celebrated when it brings victory in ways that should make any mother's toes curl. No where is this more apparent than this week's debate over Don't Ask, Don't Tell, a law that forces the military culture, one that is built on integrity, to lie in order to get by. If that isn't warped I don't know what is and if you call it compromise, then I think we all better start forgetting compromise as a concept pretty soon. The Wikileaks circus, however, proves that if you try to point out the lies you can still get your butt in trouble, even if the lies you are revealing aren't that big a deal anyway. But as I said the lying isn't just relegated to what used to be called the "art of the possible." It's now pervasive in all segments of society. I'm assuming that shortly we'll dispense with courses in ethics and replace them with courses in how to lie.

So this year's awards will cover a wide range of topics but I'll caveat that by saying that there are a lot of repeats. Part of that is due to my being preoccupied with my Mother's terminal illness and her passing. Part of that is due to the fact that there weren't a lot of new folks jumping up and demanding my attention.

The rules for nomination and inclusion (some dubious, some for actual best in class, some just for frivolity) are my own and completely subject to my own whims and fancies. Human nature, no matter the field of endeavor, is ripe with that which needs celebrating and that which needs derision cast its way. That last bit seems even more pertinent this year. Good friend, Tablet PC MVP and fellow GBM contributor, Mark “Sumocat” Sumimoto, christened these awards with the nickname of ‘The Blotties’ in year one, and that sorta stuck. So we'll let it keep sticking. If you don't like the list, go make your own.

I used to lament that I couldn't afford some sort of bash where those honored could get blotto while celebrating. I don't lament that anymore as many of the folks on the list seem to do well enough at that on their own. But if our paths happen to cross, I'll buy you one, if you do the same in return.

So, as always, cue the dancing girls, beat out a tattoo on the drums, sound the trumpets (or the theremin) and get ready for the Sixth Annual Life on the Wicked Stage Ink Blot Awards . Enjoy!

September 05, 2010

My wife, Thomasin, and I have enjoyed celebrating our 10th wedding anniversary this weekend. We didn't plan on it being a weekend celebration, but life sometimes intervenes and well, we just partied with the flow. We spent the evening of our anniversary watching our wedding, reception, and honeymoon videos. We laughed a lot and cringed a lot as we would notice folks and realized that this couple and that couple weren't together anymore, how much so and so had changed, and there was the occasional, who the hell is that.

We also got very emotional when we realized that tagged onto the end of our honeymoon video that there were two clips of Thomasin showing our wedding photos to her two grandmothers, both of whom have since passed a way. Rare and wonderful memories that we'd forgotten we had.

Then yesterday was one of those confluences of our wacky lives that seem to happen quite frequently in our life at Wayside Theatre. We had two performances of Striking 12 ready to go, and folks from several different walks of our lives just sort of miraculously decided to attend one or the other. Former colleagues and former friends all headed to Middletown to check out the show, and to spend some time together. The most far flung journey goes to Scott Sandoe, a choreographer, and now writer who has been living in LA since before we moved to Virginia.

Scooter knew and worked with Thomasin before I knew her. Scooter was a part of a team that I worked with more times than I can count in Chicago, mostly at New Tuners Theatre. Scooter was the choreographer, Judy Myers was the musical director, and I was the director as we tackled new musicals in workshop form mostly, and occasionally in full productions. Scooter could always make anyone laugh and he was as creative with choreography and comedy as anyone I've ever worked with. Still is I imagine. He and I had some crazy insane experiences together both in work and in life. (Ask him about the time I helped him get home after a bout of bar hopping and we went to his old apartment by mistake.)

We kept peripherally in touch over the years (Facebook helped that when it came along) and I've tried to hire Scooter to come and work here several times to no avail. He's had an incredible journey through life, battling (and for the moment) beating cancer, and battling the system as he's been making his way through the jungles of Hollywood. He's one of those people that you just want to be with, and he proved that again yesterday, as well as proving that this world is really a small one, even though he seems to know everyone in it, well enough to make it a very large circus tent.

While here, Scooter's unbridled response to Striking 12 gave everyone associated with the show a big boost of energy. The stories he unashamedly told us all, some about our past, some about his life, were an entertainment that we could have sold tickets to. (Damn, wish I'd thought of that sooner.) He connected me up with a friend of his who is a playwright I was vaguely aware of. He and another of our friends who showed up yesterday, Jim Fleming, seem to have become good new friends, as Scooter invited himself to a new play reading Jim was on his way to in Washington. Scooter just kind of invites you into his life that way, and it's your loss if you don't accept the invitation or go along for the ride.

Thomasin and I haven't laughed so much in a long time. The hugs and kisses as the night came to an end were bittersweet and contained a few tears. But like I said, life is messy sometimes. But as Scooter proved yesterday, all that mess gives you a lot to laugh about, if you're able to open your eyes and heart to the human comedy of it all, and take a moment or two to remind yourself of the laughs and fun you've had along the way.

September 03, 2010

My lovely wife Thomasin and I are celebrating our 10 year wedding anniversary today. As usual we're running to and fro, with a full day of work, and of course there is a performance of Striking 12 at the theatre tonight, although I think, since she's not in this show, we'll beg off and spend some time together. Our life over these last 10 years has been completely wrapped up in Wayside Theatre. Everything about what we do is somehow geared to the ins and outs, ups and downs of what it takes to mount shows and keep the theatre open and moving forward. These days that's harder than it used to be, that's for sure.

But even though that's the case, Thomasin keeps us both going somehow. And I mean keeps us both going. One of these years we need to break away for more than a few moments and actually celebrate this anniversary, but in many ways that would be so out of character for the both of us. Although of late, I think we're both feeling different about that. Even so, I cherish the life we have together.

When we got married on September 3, 2000, it was a hot and steamy day. Everyone remembers it as a wonderful wedding, some say the most amazing and fun wedding they ever attended. Even if we were all drenched in sweat. I remember it as the best day of my life. We were surrounded by friends and family and everyone had a blast. We're blessed that our life in the theatre always sees us surrounded by amazing creative people, and we take strength and find great joy in that. We also feel it keenly when those friends move on or drift away. Since that day, we've been through quite a bit together, but the key is we've been through it all together. There's been lots of laughter, some tears, and even some drama now and then. But we're still plugging at it.

So, as we head into the day today, I'm pausing to say Happy 10th Anniversary to my wife and partner, and I'm grateful for what we've shared these last 10 years and look forward to sharing even more in the years to come. Love you babe.

June 27, 2010

The wrongly named left-handed reception issue on the new Apple iPhone is still creating quite a row. Steve Jobs' responses (as well as Apple's) are threatening to derail Apple's vaunted PR/Marketing machine. The "don't hold it that way" response was a real disaster given all the visuals that showed everyone from jobs to actors "holding it that way." Jobs' keeps insisting that there is no issue, and each time he does so, more evidence mounts against those claims. But his latest missive tells us to "stay tuned." That's interesting advice given that most who experience the problem only want to stay tuned into the network. I happen to agree with the NY Times Bits blog that this probably got overlooked due to Apple's penchant for secrecy. But then again, I'm no engineer. I can duplicate the issue at will when the Bumper is removed from my iPhone in areas where the signal is not that strong. But where I see a strong signal, the issues is not able to be duplicated. Maybe what we'll find out after this is all said and done is that bars on a screen mean diddly squat.

The McChrystal/Rolling Stone affair was one for the books. Both in terms of the actions and reactions, and that it actually exposed just how shaky and incestuous the relationship between the media and those they cover really are. Frank Rich talks about this nicely. Damn shame that we waste so much effort trying to find a way to fix something that isn't fixable and ways to make it seem palatable to those who pay attention. I'm talking about Afghanistan here, but it could be the country's economic woes, the oil spill, or any number of things.

December 03, 2009

Well, I thought last year was challenging when I wrote up this post celebrating the four year blogoversary of life here on Life on the Wicked Stage. This year provided a new definition of challenging. Through some personal health issues, family health issues, and almost losing the theatre I work for twice (due to economic concerns) it was a year that seemed like it wouldn’t end, and one that was moving far too fast at the same time.

Throughout it all I still kept coming back here, most assuredly as a refuge, and often as a shield against some of the more bristling challenges. What amazes me is that others kept coming here as well, even though the blog often suffered from things going on in the real world. That is evident in that this year’s observance post barely made it to the web on the day of the anniversary. But something else special happened this year. As I blogged about the challenges I faced here, many of those who stop by to read a bit, stepped up and helped out. For those of you who did, I am more grateful than you know and I thank you for your friendship and your care. For those who just stopped by to take a glance or a read, I’m also grateful for the time you spent here and hope you find your way to spend more in the future.